Post by Muleskinner on Oct 30, 2012 22:13:43 GMT -8
I know a lot of you members are new to the logging scene and at times may have a hard time figuring out what us loggers who have been around it for so long are saying when we post a thread. So with that said I am posting this sort of gypsy Dictionary of the loggers language which I have decided to to research out. I will post new defs as I remember and find them, as the language varies from region to region of the logging world.
A.
Alley Cat - A term used when referring to any piece of equipment built by Allis - Chalmers corporation.
ASA SIMPSON - The founder of Simpson Lumber Company Corporation in the Pacific Northwest. At one time this company owned more timber reserves in the area than any other units all combined.
B.
Bull Whacker- Driver of Oxen Teams.
Bell- A slide-able block on a choker into which the knob is inserted to form a noose. (see Choker)
Blow out - Logging term for a night on the town.
Bucker - Term for a logger who cuts felled trees to more manageable lengths.
Buggies - Early logging term for Railroad Log cars.
Bite - The area around any piece of haywire which is attached to either two pieces of machinery or from a log to the machinery moving it. The sudden slack jump when the line is tighten could inflict injuries or kill a hapless logger who was standing close by.
Boom Walker - Term used when referring to a rigger who is willing to walk out to the end of the massive boom loaders of a Tower skidder or a spar tree loader.
Bull Puncher - A term used when describing a person who leads Oxen Teams.
Bolt Puncher - A worker who has the job of keeping the shake bolts moving into the shake mill.
Blowin 'er in - Another term for night on the town.
Bindle - loggers bed roll or personal pack.
Bull of the Woods - Logging boss or camp foreman.
Boom - A raft of logs floating in the water of a river.
Barber Chair - A large standing piece of wood which breaks away from a falling tree and is left standing on the stump.
Bunk - Trailer cross members which carry the weight of the logs
Binders - Latching devices which hold the load together by means of wrappers made of chain, Hay wire or rope.
Bogie - Mack Truck rear end or ends.
Brownies - The auxiliary trans mission used to multiply the gear combination of a rig.
Blower- or turbo-charger - The round unit attached to the air intake/exhaust system used to increase power of the engine.
C.
Choker setter - One of the lowest paying jobs on the logging crew, whose job is working in the hole attaching chokers to turns to be yarded in.
Choker- A length of haywire which has a Sliding bell and knob at one end which can be locked together to form a noose which is tightened around the log for skidding and a loop at the other for attaching to the hook of the main skidder.
Chaser - Member of the crew who works at the top of the hole breaking choker bells as the turns come in.
Cat Skinner - Cat or crawler operator. Carried forward from Mule Skinner.
CARCO - A division of the old Pacific Car and Foundry which produced the wheeled and tracked logging arches for use with the early Cats and other type crawlers used in the timber industry. They also produced winches for the logging industry and maritime usage.
Carriage - A mobile which ran on tracks pulled back and forth by cables and used to push logs through the head rig slicing of large cants of wood for further processing in the mill. A worker rode on this unit and had the job of operating the hydraulic claws which held the logs in place and also the rams which turned and aligned the stock for further cutting. He was known as the carriage rider.
Cant - The large slab of wood cut from the raw logs as they are run through the head rig of the mill, which are further processed down into usable lumber..
Cheese Block - The short block like retainer which ride within the slot of the bunks of Logging Trucks and Log Buggies of the railroad. They are squared on the out side and sloped on the inside and adjustable so they can be slid up against the bottom of a log on both sides to prevent rolling when being transported to the Mill. Cheese Blocks all disappeared with the advent of the upright stakes.
Cant Hook - A tool designed with a five foot handle and a swinging hook attached to end used for moving logs around the landings and Mill lots.
Calked Boots - used when referring to a loggers spiked boots. Commonly called Corked Boots by loggers, or just plain CORKS.
Chute Flagman - This duty was usually given to a senior retired employee who sat in shack and kept a eye on the logs coming down a dry chute from the mountains above to either a river or dry landing below. He would make sure the chute was free of obstructions and then signal for another log by raising a flag to signal those above that it was safe.
Chute - a ditch which is dug in the ground on a down hill run lined with timbers, used for sending logs down into the water or a dry landing.
cruise - to estimate the amount of and value of standing timer.
Chicken Coop - Weigh station or scale shack.
Crawler - Tractors with tracks. Cat, Cletrak, or any other tracked unit.
D.
Donkey Puncher- A steam Donkey Operator.
Dog- a spiked metal ring or loop which is driven into ends of logs to chain or haywire them together to form a raft for floating or dry land turn, for skidding.
Dolbeer Donkey - The steam driven skidding unit designed and built by John Dolbeer of Crescent City, California in the late eighteen hundreds , which started the modernization of the logging industry. It was basically a vertical mounted boiler on two logs and used to power a maritime winch which could be used to yard in turn.
Dog Hole Schooner - A small but sturdy ship built for the purpose of transporting lumber from the Pacific coast lumber mills. They were designed to get into the small coves along the coast which were referred to as dog holes by the loggers and seaman. The lumber was which out to them in unit along a high lead cable suspended between the landing and the schooner mast.
Dog Hole - A term used to describe the narrow and sometimes treacherous coves along the pacific coast.
Deacon Seat - A bunkhouse bench usually made of a split log with the flat side up stretched along in front of the bunks.
Deck - Unit of logs ready to load, for transport to mill or dump area.
Donkey - Steam, Gas or Diesel engine used for loading and stacking turns.
Dump - Area where loads are unloaded.
E.
EPHRIN SHAY - The father of the geared logging lokie which bears his name. The Shay.
Edger - A system of gang saws which unlike a circular or band saw are straight bladed and set to operate up and down and make multiple vertical cuts through the length of the smaller Cants from the Head rig. These cants are the very first and last cuts from the log which are rounded from the outside edge. The edger is used to process them further down into usable lumber.
F.
Faller - A logger who falls timber before the logging crew moves in. Also termed as feller.
Filer - The one who keeps the various saws in the mill and logging area sharpened.
Falling Ax - Unlike the single bitted and broad head axes used in the East and other places Western Timber because of the size, required a special type ax for cutting through the wide stumps. They came up with a narrow headed double bitted ax with a straight handle which could be up to 46 inches in length. Since the faller stood on boards wedged into the side of the trees the extra length of the handle gave them more reach when cutting and saved on wasted time moving around the tree. (see Springboard)
Flume - A continuous "V" shaped trough filled with running water for the purpose of moving rough cut lumber from the isolated mountain Mills to the valleys below. Some could be as long as twenty five to fifty miles.
Flume Herders - These were loggers who had reach the age where they could no longer work in the woods or injured loggers, who could no longer perform their jobs, who to keep them employed rather than let them go, the Logging company would deploy them out along the flume where the water began to meander along. The herders job was to keep the lumber moving until the water picked up enough speed once more to move it, and also to keep a close watch for jams.
FREDERICK WEYERHAEUSER - Along with Simpson, he became another lumber baron in the Pacific Northwest by buying his first timber holdings from the Railroads.
First loader - The logger who selects the turns and then hooks or grapples them for loading.
G.
Gypsy - a Logger who wanders from job to job to stay employed year round.
Gypo or Gyppo Loggers - Small independent logging out fits who will bid on logging jobs larger logging units turn down. Derived from gypsy.
Gerty - A term used to describe a wheeled straddle lumber carrier built by Hyster and other manufacturers, used to move units of lumber around the sawmill lot.
Grader - A mill worker whose job is, inspecting finished lumber as it comes down from the planer mill. A good eye and experience is need too be a grade, as he has to break and assign grades by number of knots, the way the board is sawed to assign it either a-b-c grade and put into categories such as Clear, utility, construction, or rejects it back to re saw and finishing. It takes many years of experience in the milling industry to attain this job position.
Ground Lead Logging - Early term used to describe Steam Donkey logging where the logs were dragged in on the ground.
Gobbler - Large machine used to lift loads from loaded log trucks.
H.
Hog Boss-Head supervisor of the river pigs. I have also heard on site foremen called hog bosses in the cutting area.
High line rigger - A logger who is experienced at setting the rigging at the top of the spar tree.
High climber or topper - A logger who assisted by a pair of spurs attached to his cork boots on the inside who limbs the spar from bottom to top and then remove the top for rigging. One of the most dangerous jobs on the crew. They operate much the same as an electrician on a power pole.
Head rig - The main saw of the mill which is the starting point of the lumber process in the mill. In the old days it consisted of a large circular saw for smaller logs. For the larger Redwood and fir logs and others here in the Pacific Northwest the head rig consisted of multiple adjustable circulars or gang saws as they were called. All circulars were replaced by the massive bands saws which have been the main stay of the mill into the present.
Hole - A loggers term for the area over the hill in front of the yarder where choker setters and the whistle punk work. In a Sawmill it is the area under the mill where all the various motors are located for powering the machinery above. Also know as the rat hole in modern terms.
Highballers - A very fast logging crew. Also a railroad term.
Highballing - Speeding up the logging crew.
Hall/Scott - Gas engine noted for its power and reliability, on the job.
Head ache rack - Tubular or squared steel guard behind the cab of a truck.
Hercules - An early model diesel engine.
Heel Boom - A log boom attached to a standing tree or spar used for loading logs onto trucks.
Hooks or End Hooks - Used for loading and lifting logs.
I.
J.
JOHN DOLBEER - The man most credited with bringing the Timber industry out of the dark ages and into the modern era.
Jill Poke - A long timber or metal spar which is mounted horizontally on a fixed turn table used for unloading log buggies. One end of it is placed against the log and as the log buggie is pulled against it the Jill would rotate and push the log off the car.
JOHN MUIR - Naturalist who pushed for Establishments of the Nation Forest system in the west in the early years of logging. Also Notoriously referred to as the Founding Father of the environmentalist group known as SIERRA CLUB, which was instrumental with other groups in bringing the down fall of the Logging Industry on the West Coast and other areas of the US.
Jimmie Engine - Slang for a Detroit Diesel Engine.
K.
Key - Term used when referring to the main log which is causing a major log jam on a river run. River Pigs would look for this log and loosen it (with Explosives if called for) to get the logs moving once more.
KW, K-wobbly, K-whopper - Some of the names used when referring to a Kenworth truck.
L.
Limber - term used to describe a logger who removes limbs from a felled tree who works right along side the buckers.
Lokie or Loky - Rail road engine of the logging industry
Log Jammer - Steam type self propelled straddle type loader used to load rail buggies with logs.
Landing - The area where logs are decked and loaded onto trucks for transfer to Mill or dump.
M.
Mule Skinner - Driver of horse and mule teams on the logging crew.
Misery Whip - Any type of older style hand operated cross cut saw used in the early days of logging.
Mill Wright - A title given to workers who kept the machinery in the Saw Mill running smoothly. In a Sawmill especially the main mill, if one of the saws or chains go down the whole process will will stop until the contributing factor for the stoppage is repaired. And as we all know from experience in the work force time is money and down time is lost wages.
Muzzle Loader - A overly full bunk house, or a small bunk house.
Mule Train - Short logger of truck and trailer combination used for hauling logs.
N.
O.
Offer - A term sometimes used when referring to an Off-hiway logging truck.
Off Bearer - The worker in a sawmill who works along side the head rig of the mill. When the large Cants are cut from the log he would use a pickaroon and drive it into the bottom of the cant and pull outward as the cut is made. At end of the cut he would jerk the bottom of the cant which would cause the top to fall away from him and the cant to come to rest laying on a bed of multiple moving chains.
Outrigger - A rigid or hydraulic movable brace which extends from the side of a truck or piece of machinery to keep it from tipping over on its side while in use.
P.
Pecker Pole- Any tree with a diameter between six to twelve inches. Usually cut and split for Camp firewood and also feeding the various steam equipment in the woods. Now days used for pulp wood in the paper industry.
Peelers - A term used to describe loggers who in the Redwood region remove the stringy bark from Redwood logs before loading.
Paul Bunyan Tooth Pick - Another term for Pecker Pole.
Paul Bunyan - The god of logging. He along with his blue Ox Babe started it all.
Pacific Car and Foundry - A Washington based firm which produced equipment for the Timber Industry and also Rail Cars for the Railroad industry. More commonly now days the firm is called PACCAR when the topic of Peterbuilt and Kenworth truck comes up.
Pond Pig - Anyone who works in the mill pond who keeps the logs moving toward the bull chain which brings the logs up into the head rig carriage of the mill.
Pony Saw - A secondary smaller Band saw which is used to process the the larger cants cut from the logs at the head rig.
Plainer - A piece of machinery in the mill which raw rough cut lumber is fed into and in return you get the smooth lumber we are all used to seeing today. this process is where a board 2"x 6' for instance is fed into the unit and comes out the standard 1.5"x 5.5' size. The classing of Two-by-six still remains the same because of the size it was before going into the plainer. The operator of this rig has the title of Plainer-man.
Powder Monkey - Anyone in the logging field who handles explosives.
Pickaroon - A short handled tool with a hooked head used for reaching out a grabbing lumber or small logs and moving them. These tool were used in all areas of the logging industry.
Pond Monkey - One who works in a Sawmill log pond moving logs. Also referred to as a Pond Pig.
Premier hitch - The first early hitch which could be opened and locked shut. The early pintle style.
Peavy - Pointed lever with a movable hook, used to manually move logs in the olden days.Still in use in some parts of the country.
Q.
R.
River Pig- A logger who has the job of keeping the logs moving in a river float to the mill and always on the look out for log jams which could stop the float. Also know as a turn herder.
Rigging - Any article such as Blocks, pulleys, Hay wire, chokers, ect. which is used by the logging crew.
Rigger - A logger who is experienced at setting the rigging.
Raft - logs which are bunched together in the water and moved as a single unit from gathering point to the mill.
River Drive - The moving of a raft or single logs down a river.
Reach - The tubular piece of the logging trailer used to attach it to the truck. They are made in variable length depending on the length of the load.
Rollway - a platform built to roll logs onto train cars of trucks.
S.
Skyline Cowboy - A Modern California term for a Logger who works on the high line or sky line logging team.
Sawyer - The title given to operators of the main saws in a sawmill. This could be at any of the main saws such as Head rig, Pony, trim and any others. At the head rig the operator would be called a Head Sawyer, Pony saw he would be the Pony Sawyer and so forth. In the olden days of the circular saw the operator was was also called a head sawyer and in the case of the gang saws, he was known as the Gang Sawyer.
Skidder - Term referring to any of the pieces of equipment used for bring in turns of logs such as the modern day wheeled type Clarke and Cat units to the older steam unit such as the Willamette and Lidgerwood Towers. (see also Tower skidder)
Slack Jump - The sudden movement of the haywire as it is tighten up. The area around it is referred to as the bite or danger zone.
Spur - A term used when referring to a logging rail junction or the spiked rigging a high climber uses which are strapped to the inside area of his boots used for climbing.
Shake Bolts - Used in the process of making roofing shakes or shingles. These are usually large rounds cut out of logs about two feet to three feet long and clear of knots. They are then split down to make the shakes which are popular on the roofs of a lot of structures and also used as siding.
Snipe - A term used when referring to taking and rounding off the square edge of one end of a log so it will slide easier across the ground and down a skid road.
Sniping Ax - A short handled double bitted ax which had rounded bits, designed for rounding of the edges on the end of a log.
Skid Greaser - They were usually young boys who were just breaking into logging who carried a rag mop and bucket full of putrid grease of any nature and greased over the logs which were ricked cross ways in the skid roads and used as dead slides for the turns to be skidded across.
Spring Board - A long piece of board which was thick enough and wide enough to hold the weight of a logger when he stood on it to fall a tree. It had a cleat on one end which was slipped into a notch cut into a tree and would keep the board from slipping out, providing the faller with firm footing.
Skid Road - A path or road cut through the woods to skid logs on.
Also applies to the bar district of a local town where loggers spent their time during a blow out.
Splash Dam - temporary dam built across a low or lazy stream or river backing up the water so when it was released it would wash the logs behind it and in front down stream. Depending on the length of the stream or river it sometimes took multiple Splash Dams to keep the timber moving.
Steam Donkey - See Dolbeer Donkey.
Self loader - A truck equipped with a hydraulic loader which is capable of loading itself.
Short logger - logging truck with no trailer.
Shovel Loader - loggers slang for the crane or excavator type unit used to load logs on trucks or trains.
Show - The site where the logging operation is taking place.
Straw Line - Small diameter haywire used in logging.
T.
Tower Skidder- A term used for the Lidgerwood or Willamette skidder unit, which were used to skid logs from the felling area to the rail head for loading on rail buggies. They were huge units with a tall tower and powered by steam able to perform multiple jobs. They could yard in logs and spot their own buggies and then load those same buggies for shipment to the mills. A good example of one of these monsters is the Camp 6 Lidgerwood which is on the logo of this forum.
Tomaine Hall- The building where the loggers gathered to eat. Also known as the cook house depending on how good the head cookie was.
Two street Hooker- Any solid red piece of equipment such as Truck, Allis Chalmers Crawler, and so forth.
Turns or turn- Any log or bunch of logs being skidded to the landing.
Trim Saw - trim saws are a set of multiple drop down, circular saws saws which are used to cut lumber into prescribed lengths to make the most of the stock. They are mounted over head, above the feeder chain, and operated individually or in multiple drop sets by the Trim Sawyer. At this point the lumber is cut into its standard lengths of 8 - 10 - 12 - 14 - 16 - 18 - 20 and so forth, foot length of lumber. These lengths are measured from the chin of the chain in front of the sawyer to the footer at the other side.
I have yet to see a sawmill which cut odd number length and was told by many a trim sawyer it is because of the number thirteen which everyone knows is the symbolic representative of bad luck.
Tee -Pee - The old stand up tee pee shaped burner which was used until recent years to burn all the scrap wood and saw dust produced by the mill. Many have long since vanished but a few have survived and still can be seen standing at old mill sites in the Pacific Northwest and other areas of the US.
Timber Beast - A nickname referring to anyone who worked in the woods.
Tin Pants - Old term used when referring to a loggers heavy canvas water proof pants.
U.
Under Cut - The first cut made in a tree for falling. The faller would make it level on the bottom and the top would angle upward creating a "V" shaped cut not quite half way through the tree. They could aim the tree in a certain direction by the use of the Under cut. The under cut could also be made with a flat top and angled bottom. Such is the case for Redwoods to keep them from barber chairing on the fall.
V.
W.
Widow Maker- Any piece of falling or flying wood large enough to do a logger bodily harm. Any piece of equipment on which accidents occur frequently.
Whip Saw Mill - Before the large mills came into existence, their sprang a lot of manual powered mills in the woods, or near a good stand of timber. They were usually built on a sloping hillside, with one side built into the hill and the other built on pilings or tree stumps with enough room underneath where a long cross cut saw could be lowered down through the floor through a narrow slit. A log was then rolled over the slit and block in place by cheese blocks made of wood. One sawyer would work from above and another would work from below. They would slowly begin the process of sawing boards from the logs, by first sawing it in half and then they would start slicing up the halves, into rough cut lumber.
Wind fall - A tree blown down by the wind naturally.
Wind Falling - Term used to describe the technique of boring holes through the stump of a tree at tree to four inch intervals all the way around to weaken the stump and then letting Mother Nature do the rest of the work with the wind. This technique was mainly used in the very large groves of Sequoia Redwoods of the Sierra Nevada range of mountains on the border of California and Nevada. It was also occasionally used in the coastal redwood area of California and Oregon.
X,Y,Z.
A.
Alley Cat - A term used when referring to any piece of equipment built by Allis - Chalmers corporation.
ASA SIMPSON - The founder of Simpson Lumber Company Corporation in the Pacific Northwest. At one time this company owned more timber reserves in the area than any other units all combined.
B.
Bull Whacker- Driver of Oxen Teams.
Bell- A slide-able block on a choker into which the knob is inserted to form a noose. (see Choker)
Blow out - Logging term for a night on the town.
Bucker - Term for a logger who cuts felled trees to more manageable lengths.
Buggies - Early logging term for Railroad Log cars.
Bite - The area around any piece of haywire which is attached to either two pieces of machinery or from a log to the machinery moving it. The sudden slack jump when the line is tighten could inflict injuries or kill a hapless logger who was standing close by.
Boom Walker - Term used when referring to a rigger who is willing to walk out to the end of the massive boom loaders of a Tower skidder or a spar tree loader.
Bull Puncher - A term used when describing a person who leads Oxen Teams.
Bolt Puncher - A worker who has the job of keeping the shake bolts moving into the shake mill.
Blowin 'er in - Another term for night on the town.
Bindle - loggers bed roll or personal pack.
Bull of the Woods - Logging boss or camp foreman.
Boom - A raft of logs floating in the water of a river.
Barber Chair - A large standing piece of wood which breaks away from a falling tree and is left standing on the stump.
Bunk - Trailer cross members which carry the weight of the logs
Binders - Latching devices which hold the load together by means of wrappers made of chain, Hay wire or rope.
Bogie - Mack Truck rear end or ends.
Brownies - The auxiliary trans mission used to multiply the gear combination of a rig.
Blower- or turbo-charger - The round unit attached to the air intake/exhaust system used to increase power of the engine.
C.
Choker setter - One of the lowest paying jobs on the logging crew, whose job is working in the hole attaching chokers to turns to be yarded in.
Choker- A length of haywire which has a Sliding bell and knob at one end which can be locked together to form a noose which is tightened around the log for skidding and a loop at the other for attaching to the hook of the main skidder.
Chaser - Member of the crew who works at the top of the hole breaking choker bells as the turns come in.
Cat Skinner - Cat or crawler operator. Carried forward from Mule Skinner.
CARCO - A division of the old Pacific Car and Foundry which produced the wheeled and tracked logging arches for use with the early Cats and other type crawlers used in the timber industry. They also produced winches for the logging industry and maritime usage.
Carriage - A mobile which ran on tracks pulled back and forth by cables and used to push logs through the head rig slicing of large cants of wood for further processing in the mill. A worker rode on this unit and had the job of operating the hydraulic claws which held the logs in place and also the rams which turned and aligned the stock for further cutting. He was known as the carriage rider.
Cant - The large slab of wood cut from the raw logs as they are run through the head rig of the mill, which are further processed down into usable lumber..
Cheese Block - The short block like retainer which ride within the slot of the bunks of Logging Trucks and Log Buggies of the railroad. They are squared on the out side and sloped on the inside and adjustable so they can be slid up against the bottom of a log on both sides to prevent rolling when being transported to the Mill. Cheese Blocks all disappeared with the advent of the upright stakes.
Cant Hook - A tool designed with a five foot handle and a swinging hook attached to end used for moving logs around the landings and Mill lots.
Calked Boots - used when referring to a loggers spiked boots. Commonly called Corked Boots by loggers, or just plain CORKS.
Chute Flagman - This duty was usually given to a senior retired employee who sat in shack and kept a eye on the logs coming down a dry chute from the mountains above to either a river or dry landing below. He would make sure the chute was free of obstructions and then signal for another log by raising a flag to signal those above that it was safe.
Chute - a ditch which is dug in the ground on a down hill run lined with timbers, used for sending logs down into the water or a dry landing.
cruise - to estimate the amount of and value of standing timer.
Chicken Coop - Weigh station or scale shack.
Crawler - Tractors with tracks. Cat, Cletrak, or any other tracked unit.
D.
Donkey Puncher- A steam Donkey Operator.
Dog- a spiked metal ring or loop which is driven into ends of logs to chain or haywire them together to form a raft for floating or dry land turn, for skidding.
Dolbeer Donkey - The steam driven skidding unit designed and built by John Dolbeer of Crescent City, California in the late eighteen hundreds , which started the modernization of the logging industry. It was basically a vertical mounted boiler on two logs and used to power a maritime winch which could be used to yard in turn.
Dog Hole Schooner - A small but sturdy ship built for the purpose of transporting lumber from the Pacific coast lumber mills. They were designed to get into the small coves along the coast which were referred to as dog holes by the loggers and seaman. The lumber was which out to them in unit along a high lead cable suspended between the landing and the schooner mast.
Dog Hole - A term used to describe the narrow and sometimes treacherous coves along the pacific coast.
Deacon Seat - A bunkhouse bench usually made of a split log with the flat side up stretched along in front of the bunks.
Deck - Unit of logs ready to load, for transport to mill or dump area.
Donkey - Steam, Gas or Diesel engine used for loading and stacking turns.
Dump - Area where loads are unloaded.
E.
EPHRIN SHAY - The father of the geared logging lokie which bears his name. The Shay.
Edger - A system of gang saws which unlike a circular or band saw are straight bladed and set to operate up and down and make multiple vertical cuts through the length of the smaller Cants from the Head rig. These cants are the very first and last cuts from the log which are rounded from the outside edge. The edger is used to process them further down into usable lumber.
F.
Faller - A logger who falls timber before the logging crew moves in. Also termed as feller.
Filer - The one who keeps the various saws in the mill and logging area sharpened.
Falling Ax - Unlike the single bitted and broad head axes used in the East and other places Western Timber because of the size, required a special type ax for cutting through the wide stumps. They came up with a narrow headed double bitted ax with a straight handle which could be up to 46 inches in length. Since the faller stood on boards wedged into the side of the trees the extra length of the handle gave them more reach when cutting and saved on wasted time moving around the tree. (see Springboard)
Flume - A continuous "V" shaped trough filled with running water for the purpose of moving rough cut lumber from the isolated mountain Mills to the valleys below. Some could be as long as twenty five to fifty miles.
Flume Herders - These were loggers who had reach the age where they could no longer work in the woods or injured loggers, who could no longer perform their jobs, who to keep them employed rather than let them go, the Logging company would deploy them out along the flume where the water began to meander along. The herders job was to keep the lumber moving until the water picked up enough speed once more to move it, and also to keep a close watch for jams.
FREDERICK WEYERHAEUSER - Along with Simpson, he became another lumber baron in the Pacific Northwest by buying his first timber holdings from the Railroads.
First loader - The logger who selects the turns and then hooks or grapples them for loading.
G.
Gypsy - a Logger who wanders from job to job to stay employed year round.
Gypo or Gyppo Loggers - Small independent logging out fits who will bid on logging jobs larger logging units turn down. Derived from gypsy.
Gerty - A term used to describe a wheeled straddle lumber carrier built by Hyster and other manufacturers, used to move units of lumber around the sawmill lot.
Grader - A mill worker whose job is, inspecting finished lumber as it comes down from the planer mill. A good eye and experience is need too be a grade, as he has to break and assign grades by number of knots, the way the board is sawed to assign it either a-b-c grade and put into categories such as Clear, utility, construction, or rejects it back to re saw and finishing. It takes many years of experience in the milling industry to attain this job position.
Ground Lead Logging - Early term used to describe Steam Donkey logging where the logs were dragged in on the ground.
Gobbler - Large machine used to lift loads from loaded log trucks.
H.
Hog Boss-Head supervisor of the river pigs. I have also heard on site foremen called hog bosses in the cutting area.
High line rigger - A logger who is experienced at setting the rigging at the top of the spar tree.
High climber or topper - A logger who assisted by a pair of spurs attached to his cork boots on the inside who limbs the spar from bottom to top and then remove the top for rigging. One of the most dangerous jobs on the crew. They operate much the same as an electrician on a power pole.
Head rig - The main saw of the mill which is the starting point of the lumber process in the mill. In the old days it consisted of a large circular saw for smaller logs. For the larger Redwood and fir logs and others here in the Pacific Northwest the head rig consisted of multiple adjustable circulars or gang saws as they were called. All circulars were replaced by the massive bands saws which have been the main stay of the mill into the present.
Hole - A loggers term for the area over the hill in front of the yarder where choker setters and the whistle punk work. In a Sawmill it is the area under the mill where all the various motors are located for powering the machinery above. Also know as the rat hole in modern terms.
Highballers - A very fast logging crew. Also a railroad term.
Highballing - Speeding up the logging crew.
Hall/Scott - Gas engine noted for its power and reliability, on the job.
Head ache rack - Tubular or squared steel guard behind the cab of a truck.
Hercules - An early model diesel engine.
Heel Boom - A log boom attached to a standing tree or spar used for loading logs onto trucks.
Hooks or End Hooks - Used for loading and lifting logs.
I.
J.
JOHN DOLBEER - The man most credited with bringing the Timber industry out of the dark ages and into the modern era.
Jill Poke - A long timber or metal spar which is mounted horizontally on a fixed turn table used for unloading log buggies. One end of it is placed against the log and as the log buggie is pulled against it the Jill would rotate and push the log off the car.
JOHN MUIR - Naturalist who pushed for Establishments of the Nation Forest system in the west in the early years of logging. Also Notoriously referred to as the Founding Father of the environmentalist group known as SIERRA CLUB, which was instrumental with other groups in bringing the down fall of the Logging Industry on the West Coast and other areas of the US.
Jimmie Engine - Slang for a Detroit Diesel Engine.
K.
Key - Term used when referring to the main log which is causing a major log jam on a river run. River Pigs would look for this log and loosen it (with Explosives if called for) to get the logs moving once more.
KW, K-wobbly, K-whopper - Some of the names used when referring to a Kenworth truck.
L.
Limber - term used to describe a logger who removes limbs from a felled tree who works right along side the buckers.
Lokie or Loky - Rail road engine of the logging industry
Log Jammer - Steam type self propelled straddle type loader used to load rail buggies with logs.
Landing - The area where logs are decked and loaded onto trucks for transfer to Mill or dump.
M.
Mule Skinner - Driver of horse and mule teams on the logging crew.
Misery Whip - Any type of older style hand operated cross cut saw used in the early days of logging.
Mill Wright - A title given to workers who kept the machinery in the Saw Mill running smoothly. In a Sawmill especially the main mill, if one of the saws or chains go down the whole process will will stop until the contributing factor for the stoppage is repaired. And as we all know from experience in the work force time is money and down time is lost wages.
Muzzle Loader - A overly full bunk house, or a small bunk house.
Mule Train - Short logger of truck and trailer combination used for hauling logs.
N.
O.
Offer - A term sometimes used when referring to an Off-hiway logging truck.
Off Bearer - The worker in a sawmill who works along side the head rig of the mill. When the large Cants are cut from the log he would use a pickaroon and drive it into the bottom of the cant and pull outward as the cut is made. At end of the cut he would jerk the bottom of the cant which would cause the top to fall away from him and the cant to come to rest laying on a bed of multiple moving chains.
Outrigger - A rigid or hydraulic movable brace which extends from the side of a truck or piece of machinery to keep it from tipping over on its side while in use.
P.
Pecker Pole- Any tree with a diameter between six to twelve inches. Usually cut and split for Camp firewood and also feeding the various steam equipment in the woods. Now days used for pulp wood in the paper industry.
Peelers - A term used to describe loggers who in the Redwood region remove the stringy bark from Redwood logs before loading.
Paul Bunyan Tooth Pick - Another term for Pecker Pole.
Paul Bunyan - The god of logging. He along with his blue Ox Babe started it all.
Pacific Car and Foundry - A Washington based firm which produced equipment for the Timber Industry and also Rail Cars for the Railroad industry. More commonly now days the firm is called PACCAR when the topic of Peterbuilt and Kenworth truck comes up.
Pond Pig - Anyone who works in the mill pond who keeps the logs moving toward the bull chain which brings the logs up into the head rig carriage of the mill.
Pony Saw - A secondary smaller Band saw which is used to process the the larger cants cut from the logs at the head rig.
Plainer - A piece of machinery in the mill which raw rough cut lumber is fed into and in return you get the smooth lumber we are all used to seeing today. this process is where a board 2"x 6' for instance is fed into the unit and comes out the standard 1.5"x 5.5' size. The classing of Two-by-six still remains the same because of the size it was before going into the plainer. The operator of this rig has the title of Plainer-man.
Powder Monkey - Anyone in the logging field who handles explosives.
Pickaroon - A short handled tool with a hooked head used for reaching out a grabbing lumber or small logs and moving them. These tool were used in all areas of the logging industry.
Pond Monkey - One who works in a Sawmill log pond moving logs. Also referred to as a Pond Pig.
Premier hitch - The first early hitch which could be opened and locked shut. The early pintle style.
Peavy - Pointed lever with a movable hook, used to manually move logs in the olden days.Still in use in some parts of the country.
Q.
R.
River Pig- A logger who has the job of keeping the logs moving in a river float to the mill and always on the look out for log jams which could stop the float. Also know as a turn herder.
Rigging - Any article such as Blocks, pulleys, Hay wire, chokers, ect. which is used by the logging crew.
Rigger - A logger who is experienced at setting the rigging.
Raft - logs which are bunched together in the water and moved as a single unit from gathering point to the mill.
River Drive - The moving of a raft or single logs down a river.
Reach - The tubular piece of the logging trailer used to attach it to the truck. They are made in variable length depending on the length of the load.
Rollway - a platform built to roll logs onto train cars of trucks.
S.
Skyline Cowboy - A Modern California term for a Logger who works on the high line or sky line logging team.
Sawyer - The title given to operators of the main saws in a sawmill. This could be at any of the main saws such as Head rig, Pony, trim and any others. At the head rig the operator would be called a Head Sawyer, Pony saw he would be the Pony Sawyer and so forth. In the olden days of the circular saw the operator was was also called a head sawyer and in the case of the gang saws, he was known as the Gang Sawyer.
Skidder - Term referring to any of the pieces of equipment used for bring in turns of logs such as the modern day wheeled type Clarke and Cat units to the older steam unit such as the Willamette and Lidgerwood Towers. (see also Tower skidder)
Slack Jump - The sudden movement of the haywire as it is tighten up. The area around it is referred to as the bite or danger zone.
Spur - A term used when referring to a logging rail junction or the spiked rigging a high climber uses which are strapped to the inside area of his boots used for climbing.
Shake Bolts - Used in the process of making roofing shakes or shingles. These are usually large rounds cut out of logs about two feet to three feet long and clear of knots. They are then split down to make the shakes which are popular on the roofs of a lot of structures and also used as siding.
Snipe - A term used when referring to taking and rounding off the square edge of one end of a log so it will slide easier across the ground and down a skid road.
Sniping Ax - A short handled double bitted ax which had rounded bits, designed for rounding of the edges on the end of a log.
Skid Greaser - They were usually young boys who were just breaking into logging who carried a rag mop and bucket full of putrid grease of any nature and greased over the logs which were ricked cross ways in the skid roads and used as dead slides for the turns to be skidded across.
Spring Board - A long piece of board which was thick enough and wide enough to hold the weight of a logger when he stood on it to fall a tree. It had a cleat on one end which was slipped into a notch cut into a tree and would keep the board from slipping out, providing the faller with firm footing.
Skid Road - A path or road cut through the woods to skid logs on.
Also applies to the bar district of a local town where loggers spent their time during a blow out.
Splash Dam - temporary dam built across a low or lazy stream or river backing up the water so when it was released it would wash the logs behind it and in front down stream. Depending on the length of the stream or river it sometimes took multiple Splash Dams to keep the timber moving.
Steam Donkey - See Dolbeer Donkey.
Self loader - A truck equipped with a hydraulic loader which is capable of loading itself.
Short logger - logging truck with no trailer.
Shovel Loader - loggers slang for the crane or excavator type unit used to load logs on trucks or trains.
Show - The site where the logging operation is taking place.
Straw Line - Small diameter haywire used in logging.
T.
Tower Skidder- A term used for the Lidgerwood or Willamette skidder unit, which were used to skid logs from the felling area to the rail head for loading on rail buggies. They were huge units with a tall tower and powered by steam able to perform multiple jobs. They could yard in logs and spot their own buggies and then load those same buggies for shipment to the mills. A good example of one of these monsters is the Camp 6 Lidgerwood which is on the logo of this forum.
Tomaine Hall- The building where the loggers gathered to eat. Also known as the cook house depending on how good the head cookie was.
Two street Hooker- Any solid red piece of equipment such as Truck, Allis Chalmers Crawler, and so forth.
Turns or turn- Any log or bunch of logs being skidded to the landing.
Trim Saw - trim saws are a set of multiple drop down, circular saws saws which are used to cut lumber into prescribed lengths to make the most of the stock. They are mounted over head, above the feeder chain, and operated individually or in multiple drop sets by the Trim Sawyer. At this point the lumber is cut into its standard lengths of 8 - 10 - 12 - 14 - 16 - 18 - 20 and so forth, foot length of lumber. These lengths are measured from the chin of the chain in front of the sawyer to the footer at the other side.
I have yet to see a sawmill which cut odd number length and was told by many a trim sawyer it is because of the number thirteen which everyone knows is the symbolic representative of bad luck.
Tee -Pee - The old stand up tee pee shaped burner which was used until recent years to burn all the scrap wood and saw dust produced by the mill. Many have long since vanished but a few have survived and still can be seen standing at old mill sites in the Pacific Northwest and other areas of the US.
Timber Beast - A nickname referring to anyone who worked in the woods.
Tin Pants - Old term used when referring to a loggers heavy canvas water proof pants.
U.
Under Cut - The first cut made in a tree for falling. The faller would make it level on the bottom and the top would angle upward creating a "V" shaped cut not quite half way through the tree. They could aim the tree in a certain direction by the use of the Under cut. The under cut could also be made with a flat top and angled bottom. Such is the case for Redwoods to keep them from barber chairing on the fall.
V.
W.
Widow Maker- Any piece of falling or flying wood large enough to do a logger bodily harm. Any piece of equipment on which accidents occur frequently.
Whip Saw Mill - Before the large mills came into existence, their sprang a lot of manual powered mills in the woods, or near a good stand of timber. They were usually built on a sloping hillside, with one side built into the hill and the other built on pilings or tree stumps with enough room underneath where a long cross cut saw could be lowered down through the floor through a narrow slit. A log was then rolled over the slit and block in place by cheese blocks made of wood. One sawyer would work from above and another would work from below. They would slowly begin the process of sawing boards from the logs, by first sawing it in half and then they would start slicing up the halves, into rough cut lumber.
Wind fall - A tree blown down by the wind naturally.
Wind Falling - Term used to describe the technique of boring holes through the stump of a tree at tree to four inch intervals all the way around to weaken the stump and then letting Mother Nature do the rest of the work with the wind. This technique was mainly used in the very large groves of Sequoia Redwoods of the Sierra Nevada range of mountains on the border of California and Nevada. It was also occasionally used in the coastal redwood area of California and Oregon.
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